Chapter 1093: Aurora's Rebirth, The Expected Guests
Chapter 1093: Aurora's Rebirth, The Expected Guests
"So you have accepted your fate? You were not born a goddess, and you'll die as nothing?" the perfect Aurora replied.
"You still don't get it. You-the so-called perfect version of me-are nothing more than a shadow of what I could have been. You are my past: predictable, fragile, and unchanging. But me? I am the flaw that defies reason, the anomaly that was never meant to exist. I grow, adapt, and rise beyond every flaw, every weakness," Aurora replied, chuckling softly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Initially, I thought the Will of the Divine Mysteries was trying to fix me, but I now realize I was wrong. He was merely trying to ensure I didn't become a more significant anomaly than I am now."
"Are you trying to say that you are stronger than me?" the flawless Aurora asked, her fierce gaze fixed on Aurora, her lips curving into a deep frown.
Upon hearing her voice, Aurora's lips curved into a light, cruel smile. She could no longer hear the voices of the shadowy figures in her mind, screaming at her to surrender or be consumed. She sensed they were under her control despite already merging with her being, including her broad, inky black wings with tendrils stretching outward at their edges.
Without hesitation, Aurora willed the wings toward the flawless Aurora. Instantly, the wings surged outward like a dome, closing in on the flawless Aurora.
"What are you planning to do?" the flawless Aurora asked, her voice tinged with anger. She cast glances at Aurora and the encroaching shadowy figures. Swinging her right hand forward like a sword, a sharp crimson arc emerged from her hand and slashed toward the approaching shadowy tendrils.
The sharp crimson arc effortlessly cut through the shadowy tendrils. However, in an instant, the shadowy figures reformed and began to wrap around her, merging with her being just as they had with Aurora.
"Get away from me!" the flawless Aurora exclaimed, her voice and expression filled with horror.
She pulled at the shadowy tendrils, merging with her like a second skin, while releasing several wide crimson arcs at the encroaching tendrils. However, they remained relentless no matter how hard she tried, rendering her efforts futile.
Within minutes, the flawless Aurora was entirely encased in a thicker, inky black shell, even larger than Aurora's previous one, except for a part of her face. Her previously unblemished form was now tainted.
Aurora advanced forward, appearing before the flawless Aurora within seconds. She raised her hand to grasp the flawless Aurora's chin.
"The faintest whisper of truth about your worth is enough to shatter you, right? Because you are perfect, you have nothing left to gain, no struggle to overcome. You have become so brittle that you can't be reforged from your pain nor reborn from your failure. And that's why I'm much stronger than you. You should have remained in my shadow," Aurora said, her inky black iris now possessing a much whiter hue, as she observed the shadowy tendrils beginning to cover the flawless Aurora's face entirely.
The tendrils consumed the previously flawless Aurora, and as they remerged, Aurora's body filled her with immense power.
Aurora turned to look at Aerialia, who had shifted to the side to observe the unfolding scene.
"What did you do to her?" Aerialia asked, narrowing her eyes at Aurora, tightly gripping her Crimson Greatsword.
Without responding, Aurora commanded the shadowy tendrils to advance toward Aerialia. Her sudden action prompted Aerialia to swing her Crimson Greatsword forward, attempting to land a hit on Aurora directly.
Aurora swung her right hand forward, sending a crimson arc that collided with Aerialia's blade, causing the space around it to ripple. The relentless tendrils attacked once more, forcing Aerialia to defend and counterattack. A battle raged against her on two fronts.
Two days later
The relentless battle had raged for forty-eight hours before it began to die down. The torn space around them from their clashes slowly started to mend itself. The Garden was annihilated, and the only things that remained were Aerialia, bound by the shadowy tendrils, Aurora, the crimson crescent moon, and the cradle before it.
"Unlike her, I don't need to eliminate you," Aurora said, observing as Aerialia ceased her attempts to break free from her bonds. Realizing the futility of her actions, Aerialia fixed her eyes on Aurora.
"I must show you I am more than a failed imitation." Aurora withdrew her gaze from Aerialia and focused on the cradle. She advanced forward, appearing beside it in seconds.
However, in that instant, the cradle vanished, and the soft glow encircling it wrapped around her. Her body began radiating a bright light. Soon, the crescent moon behind her revealed itself as a full moon. An inky black hue emerged on the other half of the moon, and a mixture of crimson and dark hues began to rain down on Aurora's figure.
Aurora had passed her Ascension trial.
...
Besides the Vylkr Artefact Magical Formation,
Orion and Zogar were suspended in the air, sitting quietly. It had been sixteen hours since the Vylkr Artefact Formation began, and although it appeared to be stabilizing, they were unsure when the artefact would emerge. Nevertheless, they weren't tired. Instead, they felt more alert and cautious, knowing the enemy might attack them at any moment.
Below them, Seth was dealing with a plant-like Vylkr variant that had emerged from the Vylkr alloy mine five hours after the magical formation started. He poured a thick stream of molten lava into the mine to prevent further growth. However, since the Vylkr Artefact Magical Formation also utilized the shards of Vylkr alloys from the mine, it was restricted to a lower output.
This led to the plant-like Vylkr variant emerging again, resulting in a repetitive cycle. Suddenly, the space beside them split open.
"It seems our worst fears weren't unfounded. It did attract guests," Zogar said with a cheerful tone, trying to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere. He straightened his legs alongside Orion and looked toward the direction of the rift space.
Seth swiftly dealt with the variant Vylkr vines before soaring and arriving beside them.
"Don't tell me you're already afraid?" Seth asked.
"Afraid? I've been waiting for an opponent to drop by to test the full extent of my abilities. Fortunately, they didn't kill my anticipation," Zogar replied, glancing at Seth.
"That opponent might be a god," Seth retorted.
"Even better," Zogar responded with a smile.
They both fell silent as the rift rippled, and two beings stepped out.
The first being to emerge was a 12-foot-tall, bulky bird of prey with no visible head. Instead, its head was a swirling vortex-a void that devoured matter, energy, and even light. Its dark brown feathers, streaked with dark purple veins, had a sleek, liquid-like texture that absorbed light and distorted the surrounding air, creating a shimmering, rippling effect. He wore a purple robe with golden ascents.
The second was a woman with purple-gold skin and shimmering scales on her arms, legs, and torso. Her piercing purple eyes, with slit-like pupils, gave her a dragon-like gaze. Long, silver hair with an iridescent sheen flowed down her back, and her pointed ears had a slight dragon curve. Two elegant, curved horns emerged from her forehead, large, leathery gold wings extended from her back, and a dragon-like tail covered in metallic scales. She wore purple, high-collar scaled armour.
Both were Vylkr spawns. The immense Vylkr energy they exuded made it easy to figure out. Nonetheless, their attire appeared ragged, as if they had just survived a gruesome battle.
They looked around their surroundings.
An overbearing pressure enveloped their surroundings, pressing Orion, Seth and Zogar down to the ground, their kneels firmly planted in the earth. Their hearts sank as they observed the Vylkr spawns above them. The Primordial barrier had protected them during their last encounter, so they could not feel the presence of the Vylrkspawns.
But now, sensing the overbearing pressure, they felt a deep foreboding in their hearts. Their only relief was that their numbers were far lower than those who had arrived previously. Soon, their bodies tensed as they heard the chilling voices of the Vylkr spawns. "Oh! A Vylkr artefact Magical Formation. Despite arriving too late, who would have thought we'd encounter one here? It seems we're fortunate," the second Vylkrspawn spoke. "Yes, it appears we are. Nonetheless, it would have been better if we had arrived more quickly rather than being delayed by one of the Divine corps. Fortunately, we were able to subjugate them. And make them lose their trail, or else it would be troublesome if they also noticed the Vylkr Artefact Magical Formation and decided to destroy it," the first Vylkr spawn spoke. It was difficult to identify his features since he possessed neither a face nor lips.
The second Vylkrspawn nodded silently. She turned her head downwards and narrowed her eyes at Orion, Seth and Zogar below.
"Don't they look interesting?" The second Vylkr spawn asked, her lips curving into a deep
frown.